Carson Palmer spent a good 15 seasons in the NFL playing with the Cincinnati Bengals (2003-2010), Oakland Raiders (2011-2012), and the Arizona Cardinals (2013-2017) as quarterback. So, naturally, following his retirement in 2018, Palmer couldn’t stay away from the sport for a very long time. He returned to coach the Santa Margarita Catholic High School football team, but Palmer’s latest decision has somewhat likened him to Deion Sanders.
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“Very competitive battle. Went back and forth from spring ball. I mean, we do an entire spring season, a winter season, and then obviously training camp and summer football. And he’s just consistently gotten better and better and better,” Palmer said in an interview with USA Today. “He’s still young. He’s just a junior, and he’s only got two games of experience at this level. But he’s just going to continue to grow and get better each week.
“And he’s just a student of the game. Loves it, eats it up, loves the physical part of the game, loves the mental part of the game. Just excited to see him continue to grow.”
Carson Palmer first joined the Santa Margarita team in 2024 as a volunteer assistant coach for Santa Margarita’s freshman squad, where his son, Fletch, played quarterback. However, when the varsity head coaching position opened up late in 2024, the school reached out to Palmer, who took over the full-time responsibility.
In his debut head coaching season, Palmer, with Trace Johnson as his QB1, led Santa Margarita to the CIF-SS Division 1 championship. However, after Johnson graduated from the program, the Bengals legend promoted his son, who was the backup in 2025, as the QB1.
Like Palmer, Sanders also transitioned into coaching following his NFL career. When Sanders took the head coaching jobs at Jackson State and later the Colorado Buffaloes, he brought his son Shedeur along and immediately made him the face of the offense.
However, ‘Coach Prime’ faced public scrutiny, with fans and sports analysts levying accusations of nepotism and coaching a program like a personal backyard game. But Sanders clapped back at the criticism with a blunt response.
“Not nepotism. That ain’t nepotism,” Sanders said. “That’s real. You better go get the film and watch. That’s real.”
While Shedeur progressed through his college career to eventually make it to the NFL and join the Cleveland Browns in 2025, Deion Sanders still receives criticism for his decisions regarding his son. However, the former NFL cornerback remains unbothered by the noise around him and his son.
Carson Palmer shared similar thoughts while explaining his decision to announce his son, Fletch, as the QB1 for the Santa Margarita Catholic High School football team.
The decision was announced on August 21, 2026, ahead of the varsity football team’s 2026 season. As of now, Palmer & Co. are 5-0, and Fletch, as QB1, has completed 64 of his 97 passes (66%) for 770 yards with six touchdowns.